LUCY BAYLISS STEPS DOWN FROM DANCEEAST TO JOIN NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA AS DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT & PARTNERSHIPS
Lucy Bayliss will step down from DanceEast on 7 November following a 20-year tenure. During this time she has established an impactful programme at the Jerwood DanceHouse in Ipswich and across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Bedfordshire. During this time DanceEast’s engagement has grown to 60,000 attendances annually.
Lucy designed DanceEast’s Centre for Advanced Training, as one of 10 national centres providing high-quality prevocational training for dancers aged 10 – 18. Coming from across the East of England, many students attend on means-tested bursaries, join through outreach pathways and go on to world class dance careers on and off the stage.
Lucy evolved DanceEast’s offer for children and young people, who account for 65% of attendees. She established an annual festival co-designed with Young Producers and introduced a fund providing free classes for children and young people experiencing disadvantage. She launched a new 2-year BA (Hons) Dance with University of Suffolk in 2018, the first of its kind in the UK.
Cultivating life-long engagement, Lucy created countless opportunities to dance for fun and health, including in care homes and for people with dementia. She established DanceEast as one of six centres for English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme. She championed EncoreEast, a company of older dancers which makes and tours work, and co-produced events with communities and older people.
Lucy pioneered the 5G Edge-XR project with BT which explored approaches to dance education through interactive teaching. She developed Digital Primaries, live-streaming curriculum-linked dance into Primary Schools. She has been involved in the Art // Tech // Play partnership led by Cambridge-based Collusion and in commissioning new works combining technology and live performance, securing DanceEast’s reputation as a leader in dance and technology.
Lucy supported artists to explore and develop new work, establishing the DanceHouse as a centre for creation. DanceEast now hosts residencies for up to 65 artists annually and has an in-house performance programme averaging audiences of 80% across the season. She also led DanceEast’s programming at festivals such as First Light, Primadonna, and Latitude.
Lucy has been involved in the Battery of Ideas project in Lowestoft and a Creative Health leadership group with Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board. She has represented DanceEast regionally, nationally, and internationally. She says:
“I’m hugely proud of everything I’ve achieved during my time at DanceEast. I’ve had a wealth of extraordinary opportunities and experiences here, for which I’m very grateful. I’ve had the pleasure of working with fantastic people, both inside the organisation and out. I’ve been endlessly inspired by the many, many artists, communities and partnerships I’ve collaborated with and I look forward to seeing them all flourish in DanceEast’s next chapter. I will approach my new role as Director of Engagement & Partnerships at National Youth Orchestra with the same passion and dedication, as the organisation enters a phase of development and growth.”
Shreela Ghosh, Chair of the Board of Trustees at DanceEast says:
“Lucy’s contribution to DanceEast, to the dance sector, and to cultural life in the East of England has been immense. She has led with positivity and generosity. She has grown DanceEast’s programme and its impact through partnership working, investing in outreach, and by removing barriers to access. Lucy’s energy and commitment and her ability to work collaboratively has made her a brilliant colleague, internally and externally. On behalf of the Board of Trustees at DanceEast I want to thank Lucy for all that she has achieved, and to wish her every success in her new role.”
Lucy joins National Youth Orchestra on 17 November. She will have a remit for establishing a new live and online engagement offer to strengthen pathways to orchestral music for young people across the UK.
